Conventional consumer automobiles and trucks have doors which typically weigh 50-60 pounds. Heavy duty vehicles, such as armored military vehicles, have doors which weigh 500-600 pounds. Standard door locks and latches for automobiles, heavy truck and other specialty vehicles will not stand up to the rigors required of such heavy duty vehicles, such as repeated cycles, vibration, dust and dirt, extreme temperatures, arms fire and bomb blasts.
Manufacturers of heavy duty vehicles, including armored military vehicles and other off-road vehicles, currently purchase separate components for the closing, latching, and locking of a vehicle door. Such components typically include an inside door release, a latch assembly, a locking logic assembly, interlocking control rods, a bell crank interface for exterior door handle actuation, an occupant pull handle for inside the door, and covers or housings for the individual components. All of these pieces are mounted separately to the door and then interconnected to one another. Significant positioning adjustment is often necessary for proper function of the assembled components. Such individual installation of the various components is time consuming and costly, and thus undesirable from a manufacturing perspective.
Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved heavy duty vehicle door latch assembly.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a heavy duty door latch assembly which is preassembled as a singular modular unit for subsequent assembly on to the door of the vehicle.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a heavy duty door latch assembly having multiple modules interconnected to form a single, rigid unit which can be quickly and easily installed on a door of a heavy duty vehicle.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a heavy duty door latch assembly which is mounted on the inside of a vehicle door using a total of only 4-6 fasteners.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a heavy duty vehicle door latch assembly which prohibits accidental vehicle lockout.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a heavy duty vehicle door latch assembly which can be quickly opened from inside the vehicle with a single actuation step, whether the door is locked or unlocked.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a heavy duty vehicle door latch assembly having a release lever which overrides a lock lever from inside the vehicle.
Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision of a heavy duty vehicle door latch assembly having a bell crank module to allow opening of the vehicle door from outside the vehicle.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a heavy duty vehicle door latch assembly having a latch module, a release module, and a bell crank module, all of which are assembled into an integral unit for installation on the vehicle door.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a heavy duty vehicle door latch assembly having a modular design to allow for application to multiple door layouts and arrangements.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a heavy duty vehicle door latch assembly which replaces conventional, complex latch-logic locking mechanisms with a simple locking rod mechanism to disallow movement of the latch rotor.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a heavy duty vehicle door latch assembly having latch and release modules with interconnecting actuation rods extending through a tube which forms a door handle for a person inside the vehicle.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a single latch and release unit which can be surface mounted on the inside of a flat door.
Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved heavy duty vehicle door latch assembly for use on armored military vehicles which is durable in use.